Voters in Oakland, California, will decide on a ballot measure to amend the city charter to create a strong-mayor form of government, changing the distribution of power and responsibilities among the mayor, city administrator, and city council.
The measure was introduced by Mayor Barbara Lee and City Council President Kevin Jenkins. On June 16, 2026, the council voted 4-4 to place the measure on the ballot, with Mayor Lee casting the tie-breaking vote in favor, bringing the total to 5-4. The measure was then placed on the ballot for the November general election.
Currently, Oakland has a hybrid form of government. The measure would change this system to a strong mayor form of government.
There are three types of government systems among the top 100 U.S. cities by population. Each form of government has a different distribution of powers and responsibilities between the mayor and the city council. The types of governments are:
- Strong mayor: The city council serves as the city's primary legislative body, and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.
- Council-manager: An elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and to implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.
- Hybrid: The city council serves as the city's primary legislative body, and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive. The mayor, however, appoints a city manager to oversee the city's day-to-day operations and to implement city policies.
Under Oakland’s current hybrid system, authority is divided among the mayor, city administrator, and city council. The mayor appoints the city administrator, who oversees the day-to-day operations of city departments, while the city council serves as the city’s legislative body and adopts laws and policies.
Under the measure, Oakland would adopt a strong mayor form of government. The mayor would serve as the city’s chief executive officer and would have authority over city departments, agencies, and appointed offices. The mayor could also veto ordinances and resolutions approved by the city council, while the council could override a veto with at least six votes.
The measure would also authorize the city council to confirm department heads, conduct legislative hearings, and issue subpoenas. It would require councilmembers to serve full-time, prohibit them from holding employment that conflicts with their official duties, and authorize the Public Ethics Commission to set the salaries of elected city officials.
In the top 100 cities in the U.S., there are 47 strong mayor governments, 46 council-manager governments, seven hybrid governments, and no city commissions. Out of the top 10 cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and San Diego have a strong mayor form of government. Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, and San Jose have a council-manager form of government.
The other hybrid cities in the U.S. are Portland, Oregon; Fresno, California; Miami, Florida; Cincinnati, Ohio; Anchorage, Alaska; and Gilbert, Arizona.
Mayor Lee, in support of the Oakland measure, said, “This proposal is not about concentrating power in the hands of any one elected official. It's about structural change, clarifying responsibility so the public knows who is accountable when action is needed, and how government can more effectively deliver constituent services.”
City Councilmember Zac Unger, who opposed the measure, said, “The council members under strong mayor would continue to be the face of futility … and will essentially become shields for all of the failures of the administration. If council members lose primacy on budgeting, lose primacy on legislation, lose even more juice on constituent services, then what is a council member even for than to act as a punching bag?”
Oakland voters will decide the measure on Nov. 3, 2026.
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